Voice Over Trends in 2019

Voice Over Trends in 2019

“The way we engage with content is shifting: voice is now both powering and responding to our content needs – a new precedent for 2019 and beyond. Rising to meet this need will be voice-integrated and audio-rich content, which will proliferate at blinding speed, especially online and within the e-learning industry.

Brands that want to continue to own and grow their presence with their audience will have to get on board, or risk being left behind.

While audio content grows, keep a look out for a greater presence of female voices, natural, human voice over (sorry robots), as brands deepen emotional connections with their key audiences.”

This is in a nutshell what Voices.com, the world’s largest online marketplace for voice actors, distilled in its annual report on future trends in marketing and voice over for the year 2019.

Equal Pay for Equal Work Exists in Voice Over

2019 PREDICTION:
Marketplace demand for female and male voices will become increasingly balanced, reaching a 50/50 split by 2020. This has occurred 5 years faster than originally predicted in 2017. Given the speed at which this trend is progressing, female voices picks might outpace demand for male voices by 2020.

Freelance Voice Over Careers Highly Sought Out

2019 PREDICTION:
If you work in a creative field, in-house or in an agency, be prepared for the rise of the ‘specialist’ to take root (even more so) throughout the coming year. Instead of being a jack of all trades (generalist), those who master their craft will find coveted flexible jobs throughout the creative industry

Education and Internet Fastest Growing Sectors of Voice Over Work

2019 PREDICTION:
Look out for more educational content to proliferate globally in 2019, as well as the growth in subscription model businesses and platforms to envelope educational content. Also watch for other streaming forms of internet video to take off, with video advertising following suit.

Voice Over is a Lever to Pull for Attention, Emotional Connection and Information Retention

2019 PREDICTION:
With the rapid adoption of voice home assistants and the corresponding race to develop skills/apps, 2019 will see voice playing a more integral role in projects, not just for garnering attention, but as a tool for entertainment and expression of brand voice.

Most In-demand Vocal Characteristics

Here are the vocal characteristics respondents indicated they would be looking for more of throughout 2019:

30% said they’re looking for more female voices.

27% are looking for more authoritative or professional voices.

27% indicated they’ll be looking for the ‘girl/guy-next-door.’

27% are looking for more non-English languages.

On the other side of the equation? Celebrity voices. 70% indicated that they’re either looking for fewer celebrity voices, or not looking for them at all.

Siri-ously Speaking, Synthetic Voices Don’t Cut it, Yet…

2019 PREDICTION:
2019 will see more new voice-enabled or voice interacting technologies being introduced or refined, but what won’t appear to change any time soon is the type of voice we all would prefer to hear attached to it – a human voice.